I promise
by BikerChick101
Summary: "What do you want to be when you grow up Natie?" "Your husband." NS oneshot with some CB please read and review, for all the Serenate fans still out there


**A/N : I do not own Gossip Girl, if I did Serenate would be endgame, flashbacks are in italics, this story is dedicated to all the Serenate shippers who just need some hope**

* * *

From the moment he was born, it was known that Nathaniel Archibald would attend Dartmouth to get his degree for something his father and grandfather chose. He would play Lacrosse, he would sail like his father did and he would marry someone from high society, that his mother approved off, at the appropriate age and he would carry on the Archibald and van der Bilt legacy as he was taught.

Nate smiled to himself as he adjusted his tie at how different his life turned out to be, he didn't go to Dartmouth, he did study something his grandfather wanted him to in his first year of Columbia but after that he broke away from his family and he did what he wanted to. He feels proud to say that he's made it on his own, he got a start from his family when his grandfather handed him the Spectator but it was he who worked mercilessly on it to make it as successful as it was now.

He is 25 and he knows his parents planned for him to be married to Blair almost straight out of high-school but he was so glad that it didn't happen the way they wanted it, two of his best friends found their way to each other and he now had the most perfect godson toddling around. It was a struggle to get his family to be here for him on one of the most important days of his life but he honestly can't say he cares if they don't make it, the people he wanted to be around were with him and nothing was going to spoil this day.

Nate was pretty sure the person he was about to marry was about as far away from his mother's list of perfect candidates as could be and for the first time he doesn't care about disappointing his mother because he loves her, she was his first love and in a lot of ways she was his only love. She made him feel like he could fly, she made him feel free and there was never a dull moment around her, she made bad decisions and then she made even worse decision's but he loves her for them. He made a promise to her when they were five and he always keeps his promises to her.

* * *

From the moment she was born, it was known that Serena van der Woodsen would go to Brown, she would get a degree to hang on the wall at her overpriced house but she would travel the world as a model. She would plan tea-parties with the other women who were as rich as she and when the time was right she would marry someone her grandmother approved of and raise a family so perfect the world would be jealous just thinking about them.

Serena laughed as she twirled in her dress, she wondered if her life would have turned out the way her parents pictured it if her father had stuck around. She wondered if she would have went to Brown instead of going to Columbia and dropping out after one year, she doesn't have a fancy degree to put up on her wall but she does have a few certificates to show how many photography courses she's taken over the years to get her as qualified as she is right now.

After her father left, any dreams her parents had for her were forgotten. Her mother only wanted to ease the pain of her failed marriage, leaving herself and her brother to the tales of their nannies. By the time her mother cared about her future again she was already on a downward spiral, she did everything to rebel against an authority that wasn't there and she just wanted someone to care. She has since worked through most of her problems and she wonders if her parents and grandmother are proud of what she's done for herself, she knows she is and she knows her friends and brother were proud of her and if her gorgeous godson knew what she'd been through to get to where she was, he'd be proud as well.

Serena was more than certain she wasn't what her future mother in law wanted for her son and she's so happy he still wants her after all the fights and disapproving looks, she wasn't Blair, in fact she was the complete opposite, she's made terrible mistakes but she's always loved him, he was her first love, she wishes she let him be her only love. He kept her grounded, he stops her from making the same mistakes she did in the years before, he's helping her grow up and she loves him for it. He's keeping a promise he made to her when he was five and she is so glad he's never broken a promise, at least not where she was concerned.

* * *

"Nathaniel," Chuck said patting his friend on his back. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, of course I am," Nate said smiling at Chuck through the mirror. "It feels like I've been waiting for this day my whole life."

"Then why are you so nervous," Chuck asked smirking and Nate frowned at him.

"What if she runs?" Nate asks, the mask he'd had on slipping off his face momentarily as the doubt began to creep in. "Do you think she's still in the building?"

Chuck laughed out loud and slapped Nate on his back, "She wouldn't do that, not to you, not today," Chuck said and Nate looked up at him skeptically. "Blair is with her if you're really that worried and you know Blair won't let her do anything stupid."

"God I hope not," Nate mumbled and Chuck smirked.

"You know Blair, besides its just nerves," Chuck said shrugging and sitting on the chair close to Nate.

Nate turned and faced Chuck, "Were you this nervous when you married Blair?" he asked frowning. "I can't remember."

"Because Nathaniel, I know how to keep my emotions off my face," Chuck said and Nate groaned and threw his head back.

"I just want to see her," Nate said softly, he hated sounding whipped in front of Chuck but he also knew his almost brother-in-law was much worse than he was. "It'll all be ok when I see her."

"Just remember to speak when the priest asks you too," Chuck said and Nate rolled his eyes, he had a tendency to blank out and not listen to what anyone has to say when Serena was close to him. Chuck let out a short laugh and Nate raised an eyebrow, he didn't say anything funny and he was pretty sure he didn't do anything funny. "I was just remembering the first time we met Serena," he said clarifying for Nate.

"How was that funny?" Nate asked and Chuck shook his head.

"You're lucky Serena wanted to be traditional and not have this wedding outside by the pool," Chuck said and Nate hung his head and smiled as the memory came back to him.

* * *

"_Nathaniel," Chuck said calling the attention of his best friend. "You're grandfather's calling us."_

_Nate sighed but ran up to where his grandfather was and stood on a rock next to the pond so he could be closer to his grandfather's height. They were at a gala at his grandfather's estate and the parents were socializing while the children were being looked after by their nannies away from the main party._

"_Nathaniel, this is Serena and Blair, I'm sure you and Charles will make them feel welcome," Grandfather said pushing the little girls toward Nate and Chuck and Nate nodded as he stared at the little girl with two long blond ponytails and eye's the same color as his. Nate could hear his grandfather say something about his older cousins but all the four year old blond boy could think about was how pretty the girl in front of him was, she looked like one of the dolls his cousin Trudy played with._

_Chuck nudged his side and Nate pushed him so he would stop and went back to staring at the girl, he'd seen her at other parties but she and her friend were always together, this was the first time they were going to play with them. Nate felt the pressure to his side too late to do anything about it and he lost his footing as Chuck pushed him back and went toppling into the pond._

_Nate held his breath under water and pushed himself back up to the surface, they had been taking swimming classes for the last two summers so he knew how to swim but his mom was all over him when he finally emerged from the water checking if he was breathing and saying something in her 'angry party' voice to his grandfather. Nate cringed when he saw the look on Bart's face as he looked at Chuck. _

"_I slipped," Nate said loud enough for Bart to hear and the older man raised an eyebrow at his son and then at Nate like he didn't believe him but walked away without pulling Chuck away and Chuck gave Nate a thankful look. Nate's mother pulled him into a room to change out of his wet clothes and to fuss over his hair before handing him back over to his nanny and going back to the party._

"_Hi," the little girl said when he finally got back out to the other children, Nate blushed and smiled at her before locating Chuck and dragging her and her friend to him._

_Chuck was explaining the game they were playing before to the girls, the one with dark hair looked like she was ready to throw a fit because she didn't want to play the game but the blond … Serena, convinced her to play with them which she did begrudgingly. Nate only realized that the game had started without him when Chuck nudged his side again and whispered "Don't make me push you into the pond again."_

* * *

"How do you even remember that?" Serena asked as she laughed with Blair.

"I remember because I was completely in love with the little blond boy and repulsed by his know it all best friend," Blair said. "I don't even know how I thought he would ever like me back when he was so obsessed with you."

"I never thought we would end up here," Serena said biting her lip and smiling. "It took us such a long time to get together."

"Maybe if you weren't so afraid to take a proper chance with him and stopped playing with your cabbage patch doll, we'd have been here a long time ago," Blair said pointedly.

"I could say the same about you," Serena said and Blair shook her head.

"Chuck was the one who didn't want to say he loved me," Blair reminded Serena and Serena rolled her eyes.

"You got married to a Prince," she said and Blair gave her a shocked face and blocked her one and a half year olds ears.

"Not while little ears are sure to hear and repeat what you say," Blair said as the little boy squirmed to get away from her hands and back to racing his car on the floor. "I'll make sure Chuck knows that you told him."

"I don't think he cares at all what we say," Serena said reaching forward to run her fingers through her godson's thick dark hair. "Besides he'll never get Aunty Serena in trouble would you, Henry?"

Serena got down to the floor to play with her godson. "S, you're going to wrinkle your dress," Blair said and Serena shook her head. "In 10 minutes when you're meant to be walking down the aisle and you freak out because your dress isn't perfect, don't say I didn't warn you."

"B, I've handled much worse than a wrinkled dress," Serena said crashing her car with Henry's and making the little boy giggle. "Besides I just wanted to hear him laugh."

"You hear him laugh all the time, he's such a happy baby," Blair said smiling down at her son who was trying to get his car to crash into Serena's again. "But seriously, it's almost time, how are you feeling?"

"Nervous," Serena said smiling and getting up again leaving Henry to his own devices. "See no wrinkles," Serena said twirling in her dress for Blair to see and Blair shook her head at her best friend even Henry clapped his hands when Serena twirled.

"Well I'm glad," Blair said. "Don't be nervous though, today will be perfect, you'll know it as soon as you see him standing there waiting for you."

Serena smiled as she watched Blair speak, she was obviously thinking back to her own extravagant wedding to Chuck a few years before. "As long as it's not like my last wedding I think I'll be fine," Serena said and Blair cringed, she hadn't even considered that.

"At least it stopped before you were actually married to him," Blair said. "That was one really weird time."

"Yeah, me with Steven and Nate with Sage, if we got married he would be dating my step-daughter," Serena said and shuddered. "I sound as messed up as my mother."

"Well it's over now," Blair said laughing.

* * *

"_Nate, control your girlfriend," Serena snapped smoothing down the skirt of her wedding dress. "She's been trying to ruin my life ever since she met me but this is my day, I won't let her destroy it."_

"_Serena I can't do anything, she's on a warpath and she's not going to stop," Nate said stopping her by grabbing her shoulders. "I'm sure Steven will calm her down and this will all be over and you can have an amazing wedding."_

"_I just want this to work," Serena said with tears in her eyes and Nate nodded dabbing the tears gently so he didn't mess her make-up. "God Nate why do you always date the girls that want to destroy me?"_

_Nate laughed and hung his head. "I don't know S," he said shaking his head. "This will work, ok? You aren't Serena van der Woodsen for nothing."_

"_I can't believe I'm going to get married," Serena said shakily as she let out a slow breath._

"_Having second thoughts?" Nate asked and Serena paused for a moment before shaking her head. "I never thought I'd see you in a wedding dress."_

"_Even I had to grow up sometime," Serena said and Nate smiled. _

"_Do you want me to find them and try to talk to her again?" Nate asked after a few moments of silence._

"_Could you? This not knowing is killing me," Serena said and Nate nodded kissing her forehead._

"_See I told you," Sage said from the doorway and both Nate and Serena turned to stare at her. "She's cheating on you with my boyfriend."_

"_Oh come on," Nate said throwing his head back just as Serena put her head in her hands and mumbled, "Not now."_

_Steven looked at them curiously, especially Nate before grabbing Sage's arm and dragging her out of their hearing range._

"_You have got to be kidding me," Serena said throwing her arms up. "How have you not ended that relationship yet?"_

"_It's over," Nate said shrugging and Serena let out a breath and clenched her jaw. "What are you thinking?"_

"_I can't take this, this is just the start of our lives together, I will not be able to handle this for the rest of my life," Serena said and Nate reached out to rub her arm. "I can't go through with this wedding."_

_Nate nodded and watched as she composed herself, he stepped back do she could break the news to Steven, Serena didn't have to go far because as she was walking out he was stepping back into the room, Sage behind him with a determined look on her face. Serena started speaking before Steven did, Nate knew the extent of her words but he wasn't listening to her he was staring at Sage, letting her know that she was being childish and that their relationship would never work. He could see Sage's face light up in recognition of the consequences of her actions and she stopped smirking at Serena and Stevens break-up and took a step toward him but he shook his head and she started tearing up._

"_Ok I'm going to go then, you'll take care of the guests?" Steven asked and Serena nodded hugging him one last time. Steven looked as if he were going to say more but he just walked out and took Sage with him._

"_You didn't even talk to her," Serena said referring to the heartbroken look on Sage's face. _

"_She knew what my reaction would be," Nate said pulling Serena to him for a side hug. "She knows I wouldn't stay with her if she hurt you."_

"_Thank you Natie," Serena said softly and Nate squeezed her. "I have to go tell a room full of people that the wedding is cancelled."_

"_Good luck," Nate said as she left._

* * *

Nate jumped when someone knocked on the door, Erik walked in to let them know that it was time for him to take his place because the ceremony was about to start.

Nate wiped his hands on his pants and blew out a deep breath, "Seriously Nathaniel, it's not that nerve wrecking," Chuck said as he watched his best friend pace.

"Well you obviously never had to worry about her running away," Nate said and Chuck shook his head.

"Nathaniel I know my sister has the tendency to choose flight over flight but I can assure you she is going to be walking down that aisle to be with you," Chuck said and Nate calmed down a little bit. "Ok let's go show you're pretty face to your guests."

"You're an awesome best man," Nate said and Chuck laughed.

"I know Nathaniel," he said pushing his friend out of the room.

* * *

"_She's having the baby," Chuck said looking as close to hyperventilating as Nate has ever seen him._ _"I don't know what to do."_

"_Chuck, look at me, man," Nate said and Chuck looked at him. "Go in there and hold her hand and ask her what she wants you to do."_

"_Ok," Chuck said nodding. "Yeah, I'll do that."_

"_Good," Nate said smiling as Chuck walked to the doors leading him to his wife but he stopped and turned around._

"_What if she screams at me to get out like she did just now?" Chuck asked and Nate almost laughed, he wasn't used to this, Chuck was usually the calm one who had to tell him what to do._

"_Then you stay there and make sure she knows you aren't leaving her alone through this," Nate said and Chuck nodded again._

"_One more question," Chuck said turning back to face Nate. "Where the hell is Serena?"_

"_I think she's at work, I'll call her," Nate said pushing Chuck toward the doors. "Tell Blair she's outside with me and we're waiting patiently to meet our godson._

"_You're going to make a great godfather to him," Chuck said and Nate smiled. _

"_I'll never let you down," Nate said and Chuck nodded again racing into the room where Nate heard Blair scream at him before the doors closed._

"_What did I miss," Serena said running down the hall to meet him. _

"_Nervous Chuck," Nate said and Serena raised an eyebrow as she tried to catch her breath. "Yeah, like he had to ask me for advice."_

"_Damn, did you tape it?" she asked and Nate shook his head. "How could I have missed that?"_

"_At least you didn't miss the baby being born, Blair would have killed you," Nate said and Serena shuddered._

"_Speaking of which, am I supposed to go in?" she asked dropping her bag onto the chair and sitting down to take her shoes off._

"_I think Blair decided to only have Chuck in the room," Nate said when he pulled a chair in front of her and took her feet onto his lap messaging them._

"_Oh good, I don't think I could have handled witnessing childbirth, I watched a home birth with Blair and I almost fainted," Serena said shaking her head and then moaned. "Oh that feels so good."_

"_So when are we going to give them the news," Nate asked and Serena immediately smiled._

"_I think we should let them have their baby before we tell them we're officially a couple again," Serena said giggling._

"_I was this close to telling Chuck this morning," Nate said. "How can you keep this a secret so easily?"_

"_Not easily, why do you think I've been avoiding Blair for the past few weeks?" Serena asked, taking her feet of his lap and motioning for him to sit next to her. "Ok maybe part of it was because of her moods."_

_Nate laughed as he eased into the chair next to her. "I hope Chuck doesn't faint," he said and Serena laughed, resting her head on his shoulder._

_He doesn't know how much time passes before Chuck finally opens the door and he and Serena look up to see their godson wrapped up in a little blue blanket cradled in Chuck's arms._

"_He's so tiny," Serena coo's as she looks at the baby boy. "How's B?"_

"_She's awake, she wanted him to bring you two to her," Chuck said and Serena squealed before racing into the room to her best friend. "No-one knows about earlier."_

"_My lips are sealed," Nate says with a smile and Chuck frowns._

"_When are you ever going to keep a secret from her," he grumbles before telling his son not to trust Uncle Nathaniel._

"_S, Nate, this is Henry Bartholomew Bass," Blair said when her baby was nestled into her arms again. "He's your godson."_

"_Can I hold him?" Serena asked and Blair nodded carefully handing the baby over to her best friend. "Look how pretty he is Natie."_

_Nate couldn't say anything he just ran his finger gently over the baby's hand, he placed his other hand on Serena's back to let her know he was there when he saw her tear up._

"_Oh my God," Blair said loudly and both Nate and Serena jumped, holding onto the baby a little tighter and staring at Blair. Chuck who had gotten into bed with Blair at this point also looked at her a little confused. "You're together aren't you?"_

"_Oh I can see it now," Chuck said looking at them and Blair smiled wide._

"_When were you planning on telling us?" she demanded. _

"_After you had the baby and we were sure of what we were," Serena said, sheepishly. Her relationship with Nate caught her by surprise, and she just wanted to make sure it was real this time without the input of their meddling friends. "I know this is a little bit of a shock but-"_

"_Shock to who, it's only like 3 years in the making," Blair said and both Chuck and Nate chuckled at the expression on Serena's face._

"_She's got you there babe," Nate said and Serena rolled her eyes, Blair looked like she could burst with joy even though she was exhausted, she got her son and her best friends were finally together again, all was right in the world._

* * *

"Serena seriously calm down," Blair said as she watched her best friend pace the room, even Henry tilted his head at her from his place on his mother's hip.

"I can't it's time, I think I'm going to faint," Serena said fanning herself.

"If you don't calm yourself down, Henry is going to throw water on you," Blair threatened. "Trust me, it's not going to be pretty."

"B, really?" Serena asked. "I'm freaking out enough without you making threats."

The knock on the door sent Serena back into her pacing mode. "Erik please tell me it's time, I can't handle more hyper Serena."

Erik laughed and nodded. "Come on S, Nate's already half way down the aisle," Erik said and Serena used her hand to fan herself.

"Hello my baby," Lily said when she came in going straight to Blair and Henry. "How's my favorite ring bearer doing?"

"Fine," Henry said as his grandmother took him from Blair.

"Serena darling you look lovely," she said and Serena smiled tightly. "Relax, you're father's a little disappointed he's not giving you away but he understands."

Serena rolled her eyes, for absentee parents they sure wanted to be a part of her life now. "Erik is giving me away and that's final," she said and Lily nodded again before taking Henry out of the room followed by Blair.

"Ready S?" Erik asked holding his arm out for his sister to take.

"As I'll ever be," she said biting her lip. "Why am I so nervous?"

"You're just excited," Erik said and Serena smiled, hugging him.

"Thank you Erik," Serena said pulling away and blinking back her tears quickly. "For everything."

* * *

"_I was thinking maybe we should get Henry one of those huge teddy bear's that's bigger than he is," Serena said when she walked into the room and Nate shut his phone off quickly and stuffing it into his pocket. "Who was that?"_

"_Urm … that was Chuck," Nate said and Serena frowned._

"_Ok," she said slowly, clearly not believing him. _

"_What do you want to get Henry?" Nate asked clearing his throat and smiling at her. _

"_I want to get him one of those teddy bears I was telling you about yesterday," Serena said and Nate nodded sticking his hand into his pocket to stop his phone from beeping._

"_Oh yeah sure but it's going to be a while till he uses it," Nate said. _

"_Who is that?" Serena asked. "And don't say it's Chuck because I don't believe you."_

"_It's just Chuck S," Nate said taking a step toward her and she took a step back._

"_If you're cheating on me please just tell me and leave," Serena said looking down and clenching her jaw._

"_Serena I swear I'm not cheating on you," Nate said stepping forward again, relieved when she didn't step back._

"_Then why won't you tell me who you were speaking to," Serena asked holding a hand up in front of herself to stop him from getting too close._

"_Ok look this was supposed to be done in a completely different setting," Nate said and Serena's frown got deeper. "That was Erik."_

"_Why would you be talking to my brother?" Serena asked knitting her eyebrows together and staring at him._

"_I was asking him for permission," Nate said softly and Serena's lips twitched._

"_Permission for what?" she asked in an almost whisper._

"_To ask you Serena van der Woodsen," Nate said kneeling down in front of her and pulling the ring out of his other pocket and Serena gasped, tears immediately springing to her eyes. "If you will do me the honor of being my wife and letting me love you forever."_

"_Yes," she whispered grasping his face and pulling him up to kiss him. "Oh my God yes," she screamed._

"_I promise I love you now and I'll love you forever," he said as he slipped the ring onto the right finger. _

"_Forever, I like the sound of that Mr. Archibald," Serena said staring at the ring. "I love you."_

* * *

Serena grasped Erik's arm tightly as they made their way slowly toward the aisle, she couldn't wait to officially become Mrs. Nathaniel Archibald. She was only five year's old when he made the promise to never leave her and she's so glad he kept this promise to her. She could see him at the end of the aisle he looked nervous as he watched Blair come down.

"My legs are jelly," Serena said and Erik squeezed her hand.

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall," Erik said as the music started playing for her to start walking down the aisle. "Ready?"

Serena nodded and Erik started walking, her first instinct was to run down the aisle and wrap Nate in her arms to take that nervous look of his face but Erik's hand firmly grasping hers prevented her from going to him too quickly.

Serena loved the look on Nate's face when he finally saw her, it was like someone jolted him with electricity, all traces of nervousness was removed from his face, all she could see was happiness and lust and complete and utter awe at what he was looking at. Of course he looked better than she could have ever dreamed, with his hair slicked back and the shirt he was wearing bringing out those blue eyes she loved so much.

"I love you," Nate mouthed when she got close enough and she winked at him. She swore she saw her mother and even Anne get teary eyed as Erik placed her hand in Nate's. Serena didn't think she could be happier than she was right now, in a few years she'll know that she can be happier, when she has her kids and she and Nate will love them and cherish them just like they do with Henry now.

Nate rubs his thumbs over the top of her hands as the priest speaks and she can't keep the huge smile of her face. She can see the joy in Nate's face and she doesn't know how to express how it makes her feel that she's the reason for it. The ceremony goes by quickly until Henry is handing them the rings and they are slipping them onto each other's fingers. Serena can't help but think back to the promise he made her all those years ago.

* * *

"_What do you want to be when you grow up Natie?" Serena asked looking at him with her bright blue eyes as they lay side by side on the grass after an afternoon of tag. At five that was the question she got asked most often, she didn't even think she had to know what was going to happen so far off into the future when she was all grown up._

_Nate smiled wide, he didn't even have to think to answer. "You're husband."_

"_You promise?" she asked holding his hand. Blair said that a husband will never leave you, he will make you happy and always buy you nice things and even though she was only five Serena knew that no-one else in the world could make her as happy as Nate did, he wouldn't leave her like her dad did and he bought her nice things all the time._

"_Promise."_

* * *

**A/N : hey guys I know the spoilers that was released on Twitter was very dissapointing and disheartening but I hope that you guys will still enjoy this little piece of Serenate**

**I dont have the energy to diss Dan or complain about the incredibly stupid GG writers but just know that I hate them with a passion! **

**So to all the Serenate fans who just need something to hold onto, I hope this is enough, I'm planning a full length story to counter what I assume is goign to happen in the show so just look out for that and whatever happens I will go down with this ship NS was my first OTP and I will love them forever :(**

**Please review and let me know what you think and vent your frustrations, I want to hear all about it, until next time (^^,)**


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